Of joliet



f G. LANGFORD y Feb. 1o, 1931'. Y Rm JOINT ND m. Re. 17,963

. i 1 original Filed NovL e, 1929 sheets Sheet G. LANGFORD RAIL Jom' AND BAR l Feb. 1o, 1931. Re. 17,963 'original FiLQd'N'W'- 8I :L9-29` 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Re. 1?',963 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 /Monm95 G. LANGFORD RAIL JoIVuTZAND BAR.

original Filed Nov.; e, T1929 Feb. 10, 1931.

. Reissued Feb. 10, 1931 present type, above referred to, are dividedl UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE GEORGE LANGFORD, or JOLIET, ILILINOIs, AssIoNOR To MexEN'NA- rnocEsS OOIIIANY or ILLINOIS,OF JOLIET, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION or ILLINOIS RAIL JOINT lANI) Baa Original No. 1,757,774, d ated May 6, 1930, Serial NO. 405,604, filed November 8, 1929. Application for reissue led November 10, 1930. Serial. Ro. 494,760. j

This inventionvrelates to rail joints, and more particularly to rail joints and bars therefor'used in railroad tracks and in which bars are commonly used on medium weightk rails and I-beam barstare used on heavy and extra heavy weight rails. Of recent years there has been a decided increase in weight of rolling stock and load, as well asin Speed of traiic. To meet these conditions,4 heavier rails are being used by many of the railroads and, in order to obtain joints of adequate strength, heavily reinforced bars of I-beam type are used in the joints. These bars are of high carbon steel and areoil tempered to provide adequate lateral or transverse strength. Such barsv resist .lateral bending .into the rail ends by bolt tension. It is also now the commonpractice to oil temper angle bars for increased transverse strength, and thesebars also resist, to a great extent, lateral bending by bolt tension. Rail joint bars of into two classes, Short bars andlong bars. Short bars are from 24 to 28, incheslong'; and long bars, from 36 to 42 inches long. Short and long bars are used on light and heavy ra1l indiscriminately althoughy the present tendency for the heaviest rails now in use 1s a long bar 38 inches long. Joints Aconstructed wlth shortbars commonly have four bolts'and such A a joint4 is supported by ties at its ends. The

longr bars employ A6 bolts and such a joint is provided with a central supportlng tie as well as end supportingties.

In both the short bars and the long bars,

after the joint has 'been in use for a short time wear develops at the center portion Athereof and this wear, which is initiall comparatively slow, quickfy develops into ooscness 'at the center of the joint, 4which resultsin batterand joint at the cen- This' center wear of the joint is well known y by railroad engineers and isvcommonly accepted as characteristic of rail joints-and 11ncenter wear is due to inability of the bars to move in at the center portion of the joints, under bolt tension, to accurately fit the bearing surfaces of the rai'l ends as wear occ-urs. This results in looseness and batter, as above noted.' This inability of theibars to move in at4 the center so as to accurately j'fit the rail bearing Surfaces is due to what I term' end drag, that is, the resistanceto inward move-y ment of the end portions of the bar. This drag is caused by the slow rate of wear o'f the end portions ofthe bearing` surfaces of the bar relative tothe center portions of such surfaces. I have found that this difiiculty can be avoided by employing a shorter bar than has.` heretofore `been thought possible, and subjecting the end 4portions of such bar to pressure inwardly toward the rail ends so as to'assure wear of the end portions of the bearing surfaces of the'bar and permit the ends to'move in more evenly with the center.

It is, therefore, one of the main objects of my invention to provide Aa rail joint bar of substantially less length than bars now commonly used. .A further object is to provide a bar of adequate lateral and vertical strength and so related to the rail ends as to assure tight bearing Contact between the Surfaces of the bar and the surfaces of the rail ends both at the center of the joint and at the ends thereof lthroughout the life of the joint. Another Object is to provide a rail joint,iand a bar therefor, so' constructed and related that the j .joint is adequately supported by a single tie at the center thereof, Further objects and advantages of. my invention will appear from the detailed description.

In the drawings: v

Figure 1 is a side view of a rail joint of present construction, the bar being Shown as a fiat strap for clearness of illustration, after wear has occurred;

Figure 2 is an underneath ange view of an angle bar of known type used in a joint of avoldable.. I have found, however, that this t the 4type illustrated in Figure 1, after wear; Figure 3 is a plan view` of the head of the bar of Figure 2;

` Figure 4 is an end view of an angle bar of known type applied to a rail end;

Figure 5 is, an outerside view 'of an angle bar constructed in `accordance with my 1nvention;

Figure 6 is aside view of a rail joint em` ploying the bar of occurred; l

. Figure 7 is an end view of an I-beam Abar in accordancewith my invention;

-Figure 8 is a.- side View of an I-beambar, sucjl as that'shown in Figure 7, on a reduced sca e; v

Figure 9 is' a s'ide view of a rail joint employing the bar Figure 8 after wear has occurred, the bar being shown as a flat strap;

Figure 10 is a side view of a joint having a central supporting tie and using angle bars such as that of Figure 5;

Figure 11 is a side View of a joint having a' central supporting tie and using bars similar to that of Figure 8;

Figure 12 is an end Fi ure 11;

Figure 13 is a plan view ofthe head of a modified form of I-beam bar; and

Figure 5, after wear has View of the joint of Figure 14'is an end View of a joint using' thebar of Figure 13.

In' Figure 1 I have illustrated a rail joint of common construction such as is extensively used in railroad work. This joint comprises the rail ends 1 at each side of which is disposed a bar 2, these bars being secured together by bolts vpassing through the same and through the' webs of the rail ends.

' In the drawing, the bolts and associated nuts havebeen omitted for clearness of illustration. There is'a draw space betwen each of the bars and the webs of the rail ends, and

' short time wear occurs' at the center portion thereof and,'due to end drag of the bars, the

v center rportions of the `bars cannot be drawn in by bolt tension so as to accurately fit the bearing surfaces of the rails at` the center portion of the joint. As a result, looseness develops accompanied by batter and rapid` wear of the bars. The greatest wear occurs `in an area of the length indicated by a and extends to each side of the center line d-e v-for a distance approximately equal to the mean fishing height of the bar, indicated by It', which is the mean fishing height of the bar as shown in Figure 4. The wear then tapers off through a distance indicatedby a and corresponding in length, approximately, to one and one-quarter times the meany fishing height of the bar, according to measurements taken from worn bars used on v90 pound rail,

which may be considered as representative.

The length of the wear area of the bar is, therefore, approximately equal to four and one-quarter times the mean fishing height of the'bar. Thisfwear areais indicated on the Aiiange, in FigureA 2, bythe arcuate unshaded portion ofthe fiange surface, and the wear area of the head Figure 3.

This wear is characteristic of an angle bar an'd also'occurs on Lbeam, bars, though on the latter" bars the wear area is not curved or arched to the same extent as on the angle bar. Ingeneral', the wearillustrated 4 in Figures 2 and 3 is characteristic of both the angle bars and the 1i-beam bars. As previously stated', the cause of'this center wear of the bar is due to end drag at the end portions of the bar beyond the wear area. The barv 2 of Figure 1 may be Aconsidered as a standard short 4length bar having a length of 24 inches. In such bars, the length of the wear area is approximately 12.8 inches. This means that there is approximately six inches at leach end of the bar which is not subjected 'to appreciable wear and which presents great resistance to inward movement of the bar, resulting in the end drag referred to. In the bar of Figure .1, the mean fishing height h may be taken as three inches. The length of this bar is, therefore, eightftimes itsA mean4 fishing height. It has generally been acis similarly indicated, 'inA cepted by railroad engineers Athat a bar should be at least 24 inches in length to give the desired lateral strength of' the joint and, so far as I am aware, no one has heretofore realized that the rapid wear of the center portion of the joint is due to end drag of the bar, and that important and novel results can be obtained by materially reducing the length of such bar. i l

Since the length of the wear portion of the bar is `approximately 12.8 inches, by cutting off the endsfof the bar immediately adjacent the endsl of the -.wear portion, thus reducing the length of the bar to approximately 12.8 inches, end drag can be so greatly reduced that a bar of this length would move in rwardly to the rails at approximately the same rate at the ends of the bar as at the center thereof. This is highly important as renderingit possible to maintain tight bearing 'contact between'the bar and the rail ends throughout the whole length of the joint and during the'entire life thereof. As a result. the Wear, instead of being concentrated at the central portion -'of the bar, is distributed throughout the whole length of the joint, and the rate of wear is much slower'than in a IIU lil"

joint of present typein which looseness and lau resulting batter occurat the 'center portion of the joint. This means-that by shortening the bar the life of the jointis reatly increased. However, it has been etermined in the practical use of bars on rails weighing 60 pounds peryard and over,that there v should be at least four holding bolts and that the holes in the bars `should be at least one inch in' diameter and spaced not less than four inches between centers, the two center bolts being preferably not less than four and one-half inches betweencenters. 4-43/2-4 inch bolt spacing is considered very short and is in very restricted use. Even 5-.5-5

inches is considered short spacing. It would be diiiicult to shorten abar to 12.8 inches because of the necessity-of too short bolt spaclng. .1

The length needed for a rigid lateral splice must also be considered, and I find in practice that this length in an ordinarybar should approximate 6h, this figure being subj ect to certain modifications in various cases as will be explained later. A length 6h is about the mean between 12.8 inches and the standard` short length of 24 inches, and would in effect bea compromise, shortening each end 3 inches instead of 6 inches. However, in this 6 inches,

the outer 3 inches is of greater drag than the inner 3 inches; urthermore,'th e end bolts instead of being 3, 3% or 4 inches fromeach,

having suicient extent `of end bearingsto give desirable lateral strength-to the joint while preventing the'end draig which occurs in bars of24 inches or over in ngth. The desired results can be obtained by using a bar approximately six inches longer than the length of the center wear, that is, by

' adding approximately three inches to Veach end of the 12.8 inch .bar above referred to, thus producing a bar having a total length of approximately 18.8 inches.'

In such a bar, the end'bolts are positioned closer to the ends of the bar than in bars of present type, and the center bolts are also` somewhat closer to the end bolts than in the bar of Figure 1. This results in overloading the ends of the bar, that is, in sub]ect1 ng the ends of the bar beyond the center portlon thereof corresponding to the length of the wear area'of the bar of Figure l, that 1s, the end three inches'at eachend of the bar, to such'pressure that this three inches of the bearing surfaces will wear as fast as, o r 1n some instances even faster than, the area of .wear of the center. portion of the bar. As a result, the entire bar will move Into the ralls,

bybolt tehsion, at the same rate maintaining y thejoint tight at all times. This is particularly true of bars which resist inward bending at the center portion by bolt tension, such as oil tempered angle bars and I-beam bars of relatively great lateralstrength.

An angle bar 'constructed in accordance with my invention may have .a-minimum length of approximately four and one-quarter4 times its mean fishing height, and a maximum length of between six and six androne- `half times its mean fishing height, considering the length of the bar in .terms of the mean ishing height as Vthe unit ofmeasurement.

Itis to be'noted, however, that the mean iishing height of a bar for use with given rail depends upon the total height of the rail and the fishing height of the rail which, in turn, depend upon the rail section.- It is necessary,

.therefore, in computing .the length of a bar for use with a givenJ rail to take into consideration the rail section. The relation between the fishing height .of the rail and its total height varies within limits. In-'somerails the fishing height is greater than one-half of the total height of the rail, whereas in other rails the vfishing. height is one-half of the total height, and in still other" rails the fishing height may bejsomewhat less than one-half ofthe total rail height. AIn this connection, I wish to' make it clear that my'invention relates to bars for use with what are known to railway engineers l,and others skilled in the art as T-railwayrails as distinguished, for instance, from street railway girder rails. I therefore take intoconsideration the relation between the lmean fishing height of the bar,-

the fishingheight of the rail, and the total f height of the rail, in computing' the-length of the bar. f

constructed in accordance with my invention applied to a rail 4 the fishingheight of which In Figure 4I have shown an angle bar`3 v height ofthe bar 3 is indicated by h and is the vertical distance from the transverse center of the head fishing surface 5 of the bar, the width of which is indicated by g, and the flange bearing surface 6 of the bar. taken .on a line parallel to the central vertical axis`kk of the rail. Line g maybe prel cisely defined as the straight line tangent to the bottom of the outer lower corner fillet of, the rail head and the top of the fillet joining center of distance g.

measured onA the As a basis for a formula'in calculating lthe length of the bar I use the equation f equals g rail and Il, equals the total height ofthe rail.

or L equals 425k minus 4f plus 2li. plus 6. In the case of bars for use on rails in which becomes zero and the length of the bar is equal to four and one-quarter times its mean fshmgheight plus the constant six, stated j equals 7-2", f minus in inches. In Figure 1, it it be assumed that the fishing height of the iail is equal to onehalif of the total height of the rail, the length of the bar to he used on such rail would he approximately eighteen inches as indicated by Z), or six inches shorter than the length of hai' 2, the total length of which is indicated b '0. j Y

yBy constructing a bar in accordance with lny formula above stated, the resulting bar is much shorter than bars of present type, for a given rail section. Rails weighing from 90 to 130 pounds per yard are extensively used and may be considered as representative. Ones weighing 120 to 13() pounds inclusive have recently come into very extensive useand are now delined as heavy rails. 130 pound rails originally tried out experimentally are Arapidly coming into common use on heavy duty main line track. The tendency toincreased weight of rail has grown so rapidly that sectiensv heavier than 130 pounds per yard are being proposed for heavy duty railroad use, and 90 pound rail,

. once considered heavy, will soon be looked upon as toolight for anything but branch line service.

' The tracks of some railroads are subjected 4 to less heavy duty than others, and 100 pound rail has until recently been considered by them as heavy enough for their purpose. This standard has now been raised by many of them to 110 pounds and may g o higher. Itis now realized that the increase 1n weight of rail has not kept pace with the heavy duty to which it is subjected; also that the weakest places in a.v track are at the joints, .the weakness being due to the fact that joints cannot bekept tight at center as. wear occurs, because of the end dragv or'reluctance of the ends of the Vbars to wear and move to `the rails evenly with the center. My invention, by removing all or a part ofthe objectionable end drag, makes it possible to keep the central portion'of a joint tighter than formerly under the exacting requirements of heavy duty track.-

As I kwishto limit my invention to bars on rails subjected to severe usage, the words heavy duty ,as applied to railway rails may be defined as applying to rails performing exacting service, namely, frequent repetition of heavy loads, such as a long line of heavily loaded freight cars running at fair speed, the severity of the duty increasing rapidly with increased speed. Trains with comparatively few or light cars would not put such a burden upon the track. In the case of rapid transit passengery service in great part and requirements of industrial plants the burden would be still less.

It mayl be seen that my invention is particularly adapted to track subjected to exacting service and I w-ish to limit it to joints subjected to heavy duty wherefrom a joint suffers most. I also limit my invention to bars which are intended to forni. with the rail ends, a complete rail joint, without any necessity for using supplemental holding bars or. equivalent members. To this end, the hars of my invention have four holt holes for boltiiig to the rail ends in a known manner, previously noted.

An 30 pound rail known as ASCE, and having section No. 8040 has a total height of five inches, and a fishing heightof two and five eighths inches, the bars used with such rail having a mean shing height of three-and one sixty-fourth inches and a minimum length of twenty-four inches. It will be noted that the length of the bar is approximately eight times its mean fishing height.

A bar for use with this rail, constructed in accordance with my formula, has a length of 18.33 inches, or approximatelysix times its mean fishing height, my bar being approximately 'six inches shorter than the present bar now used on this rail. Another rail known as D. L. & W. having section No. 9133 and weighing 91 pounds per yard, has a total height of five and one-quarter inches, and a fishing height of two and eleven-sixteenths inches. This rail uses bars having a mean fishing height of three and one-eighth inches and a minimum length of twenty-four inches. By my formula the length of the bar Jfor this rail is 18.02 inches. A rail known as ASCE, having section No. 10,040 and weighing 100 pounds per yard, has a total height of ve and three-fourthsinches and a iishin g height of three and five sixty-fourths inches, and the bars used on this rail have a mean fishing height of three and nine-sixteenths inches and a total length of twenty-four inches, or approximately seven times the mean fishing height of the bar. By my formula, the bar for use on this 100 pound rail has a length of 20.33 inches, or approximately six times its mean fishing height and four inches less than theV present bar used with such rail. A 120 pound rail, known as AREA and having section No. 12025, has a total height of l/zinches, a fishing height'of inches, land uses bars having a mean-fishing'height of 4,2-, inches and a minimum length of 24 inches, approximately six times their mean fishing height. A bar for use with this rail, constructed in accordance with my formula, has a maximum length of but 22.12 inches, Vwhich is lessthan five and one-half times its mean fishing height.

From the above it will be apparent that by my formula the bars bear a definite relation to they. total height and the lfishing height off the rail, and areof -such length as to assure adequate lateralstrength of the joint while preventing end drag which, in rail joints of l i ordinarytype', prevents the ends of the bars lfrom moving into the rails. As has been .above pointed out, it is the end't-wo or three 'inches at the ends of the bar 'which most seriously oppose inward movement'of the bar tothe rail ends and create the objectionable enddrag. l l" By eliminating these objectionable end portions of the'bar, yend drag such as occurs in bars of ordinary type is -avoided with the result that the bar as a whole moves inwardly to the rails, under.l bolt tension, so that the 'shown a joint having a bar 7 at each side joint is maintained-tight atall times at they center, as well as at the end portions thereof, and looseness at the center ortion of the joint with resulting batter an rapid wear 1s eliminated. Thisis rendered possible by using bars substantially shorter than vthe shortest bar now used, which is twenty-four inches in `length, and ,I believe this to be broadly new. The bar 7 of Figure 5 is for, use on a rail having a total height of five. and seventeen sixty-fourths inches, and a shingheight of two and live-eighths inches, this rail being known -as ARA--B, section No. 9,030, 'and weighing 90 ounds per yard. A barvof ordinary-type or use on this rail would have -a minimum length of twenty-four inches. A bar constructed*in accordance with 4my formula, for'use on this 90 pound ,rail has a length of 18.92 inches. In Figure 6, I have thereof, these bars being applied to the r ail ends 1 in a known manner. The bar of Flgure 6 has been shown as a flat strap, for clearness of illustration. As wear pro esses, the bars are pulled inward to the rall j y bolt tension, and themate of wear of the bearing surfaces at the en d portions ofthe bars is such that these end portions move inwardly more evenly with; the centerthan in ordinary barsl now in common use. As a result, the bearing surfaces of the bars are'maintained in tightV 4contact with the rail bearing'surfaces at all timesand the bars wear accurately -into therail ends as war is takenu l. v The wear is distribute i throughout fthe full length of the joint and is comparatively,

slow, as previously noted. As the bar wears intgjo th'e joint, the bearing surfaces thereof I are maintained tight, as illustrated, from end to end ofthe bar. This provides a simple and.` highly eliicient joint which possesses 4resulting batter and consequent rapidwear at the centerof the joint is eliminated. rl`he bar of F iguresl 4f, 5 and 6 is an angle bar of lgnown type but, being constructed `in accordance with my invention, is substantially shorter than angle bars ordinarily used in rail joints with the results above discussed of increased life and substantially uniform wear of the jointy throughout thei entire length thereof.

I find that by constructing the bar so as to havegl'eatly increased lateral strength, it is possible t0 use bars even shorter than bars constructed inA accordance with my formula above stated. In Figure 7 I have illustrated,in end view, a bar of heavy Libea-m section. tributed that it is substantially balancedvat opposite sides of itsl vertical neutral axis :1v-m and above and below its horizontal neutral axis yv-y, the lateral strength of this bar being equal to at least one-third, and preferably one-half, of its vertical strength.

In the strongest I-beam bars with which I am familiar, the-vertical strength of the The metal of this bar is so dis--v times its lateral strength. So far as I'am aware, no I-beam bar of present construction has a lateral strength equal to or greater than one-third of its vertical strength. This is important as providing a bar of great lateral strength )vhich electually resists inward bending under bolt tension, so that the end portions of the "bar are subjected to pressure effectively applied thereto in such manner as to assure that the ends of the, bar will move inwairdly'" to the rails', under bolt tension, as rapidly as the center portion of the bar. It will further be noted thatthe width of the head bearing surface 9 of bar 8 of Figure 7 is equal to at least onevhalf ofthe Width of the bearing surface 10 at the foot portion of the bar. This -is advantageous as providing relatively wide bearing surfaces both at the head and the foot' of the bar, which -is desirable for more eifectively bracing the rail ends, and alsov obtains more nearly uniform rate of inwardv V movement of the head and foot portions of the bar as wear progresses. Also, by having the bar 8 of comparatively great lateral strength, it is possible to use a shorter bar for a given rail sect-ion than abarcon- The bar of Figure 8, which islconstructed similarly to the'bar of Fi ure 7, has a length equal tofapproiima'tely' ve times its meanheight, Iii-FigurejQ--I-have illus-" ample'strength both .verticallyna'nd trans'r' 'tra`t"e iban- 8 a's'a'p'plied in'aijoint 'Thisibar-lo functions in much the same manner as the bar 7 of Figure 6, and wears at therail ends in such manner that a tight joint is maintained at all times, both at the center of 5 the joint and at the ends thereof. In Figure 9, as in Figure 6, the bar has been vshown as a flat strap and the nuts and bolts have been omitted, for clearness of illustration.

In Figure 10 I have illustrated a rail joint using the bar 7 of Figure 5, showing the joint whenthe bar is initially a plied. The center of this joint is supporte by a tiell, the joint seating upon a tie plate `12 which is' secured to the tie by spikes 13, these spikes also serving to secure the rail ends and bars to the tie in a known manner. It will be noted that the joint is supported at the center but is unsupported at the ends thereof.

In Figure 11 I-'have illustrated a joint similar to that of Figure 10 exce t that in this..` joint I use the I-be'am type of ar illustrated in Figures 7 and 8. This bar, due to its short length and great lateral strength, is well vradapted for use in a one tie center supported joint, and all necessity of supporting the ends of the joint by ties is avoided.

vIn Figure 13 I have illustrated a modified form of Ifbeam bar. This bar is constructed similarly to the bar of Figures 7 and 8 but is reduced at the end portions thereof, this surface having a center portion 14 and end portions 15 of less Contact area per unitof length than the center portion. In Figure 14 I have illustrated, .in end view, a joint embodying bars similar to that of Figure 13.`

In Figure 14 the width of the center portion of the head bearing surface is indicated by 14 and the width of the end portion of such surface is indicated by 15, the width of the center portion of the flange bearing surface being indicated by 16 and the width of the end portion of the flange bearing surface being indicated by 17. This reduction of the end portions ofthe bearing surfaces is advantageous as assuring that the end portions of such surfaces will wear as rapidly as the center portion thereof, which assures that the ends of the bars will move inwardly to the rails at least as fast as the center portions thereof. This renders it possible tomaintain the bars in tight bearin contact with the bearing surfaces of the rail ends both at the center and the end portions of the joint, throughout the life. of the joint, with the advantages above set forth. It will be noted that in both Figures 12 and 14, the foot portions of the bars are disposed within the outline of the rail flange,l and the heads of the spikes 13 project yinwardly over the foot portions of the bars.

' This is advantageous as preventing weak? ening of the bars due to the provision of spike slots therein. By constructing the bars in acthe bearing surface of the head of the bar cordance with my invention I am, enabled to employ bars for any given section of rail apreciably shorter than an bars now used or such rail section, thus e ecting a material saving in metal. In addition to effecting a saving in metal, I also assure that the joint is maintained tight at all times throughout its entire length, thus greatly increasing the life of the joint over joints employing bars of present type. So far as I am aware, bars of less than twenty-four inches in'length have never been used on joints in railroads, and it has not heretofore been known or appreciated that by reducing the length of the bar, and in this manner eliminating end drag, the characteristic center wear of a .rail joint can be prevented and the 'life ofthe joint greatly increased.

A further advantage of my barV is that it effects a material reduction in weight over `5 bars of ordinary type. Also, by having the'. bar relatively short greater accuracy in forming the bar, particularly the bearingv surfaces thereof, is obtained. It is quite easy to make a perfectly straight bar 18 or 2O inches long,

but a bar 24 inches or longer frequently relquires straightening after cooling, which is yis apt to result from the hammervblows required by cold straightening, which is usually employed. j

What I claim is:

1. A four-bolt rail joint bar for use in railroads and with rails weighing from sixty pounds to one hundred twenty pounds per yard,"said fbar being adapted for bolting to T-rail ends, said bar having bearing surfaces adapted for bearing contact with the bearing surfaces of the rail ends at both the center and the ends of the bar,'the length of the bar being less than six times its mean fishing height. A 2. A four-bolt rail joint bar for use in railroads and with rails weighing from sixty pounds to one hundred and twenty ounds per yard, said bar being ada ted for Bolting to the rail ends and having earing surfaces adapted for both center and end contact with the bearing surfaces of the rail ends, Athe length of the bar being substantially less than twenty-four inches.

v 3. A rail joint bar for use in railroads and adapted for b olting to rail ends, said bar having bearing surfaces adapted for bearing 1-:0 contact with the bearing surfaces of the rail ends at both the center and the ends of the bar, the length of the bar being less than six times its mean fishing height, the end portions of one of the bearing surfaces of the bar being reduced in area per unit of length relative to the center portion of such surface.

4. A rail joint bar for use in railroads and adapted for bolting to rail ends, said bar having bearing surfaces adapted for bearing 13 relative to the cent-er portion of such surface.

5. A` four-bolt rail joint bar for use in railroads'and adapted for-bolting to T-rail ends,

said bar having bearing surfaces adapted for" bearing contact with the bearing surfaces of the rail ends at both the center and the endsof the bar, the bar being of suflicient trans- `v erse strength to resist lateralbending under bolt tension and the length of said bar being less than six times its mean fishing height.

6. A four-bolt rail joint bar foruse in railroads and on rails weighing sixty pounds to `one hundred and twenty pounds, said bar being adapted for bolting to rail ends :ind having bearing'surfaces adapted for bearing contact with the bearing surfaces of the rail ends at both Vthe center and the ends of the l bar, said bar bei-ng less than twenty-four inches in length.

7. A rail joint bar for use in railroads and on the-Trails weighing eighty pounds to one hundred and twenty pounds per yard, said bar being adapted for bolting torail ends and having bearing surfaces adapted for bearing contact with the bearing surfaces of the raill ends at both the center and the ends of the bar, said bar being less than twenty-four inches in lengthand of heavy VI-beam section,

the transverse strength of the bar being sufiicient to resist inward bending by bolt tension. 8.I A rail joint bar for use in railroads and 1 on T rails weigfhimf);V eighty pounds toene hundred and twenty pounds per yard, said bar being adapted for bolting to rail ends and having bearing surfaces adapted for bearing Contact with the bearing surfaces of the rail ends at both the center and the ends of the bar, l said bar being less than twenty-four inches in length and of heavy I-beam section, and substantially balanced on its vertical neutral axis for lateral strength.

9. A rail joint bar for use in railroads and adapted for bolting to thc rail ends, said bar being of I-beam section and having' head and foot portions provided with bearing surfaces adapted forboth center and end contact with the bearing surfaces .of the rail ends, said bar being less than twenty-four inches in length, one of the bearing surfaces of the bar having its end port-ions reduced in contact area per unit of length relative to the center portion ofz j such surface. f

10. In a rail joint, in combination with-the rail ends, bars bolted to the rail ends and having both center and end bearing contact therewith, the length of .each of the respective bars being less than six times its mean fishing height, the area of contact bet-Ween one of the bearing surfaces of the respectivebars.- and,

portions of the joint relative to the vcenter.`

height vof the bar minus four times the rail fishing height plus twice the total rail height plus six. y

' 12. In a rail joint, in combination with T- rail ends, four-bolt bars bolted to the rail ends and having both center and endA bearing conspective bars being less than .six times its mean fishing height, and a tie beneath and supporting the center of the-joint, the joint being` unsupported at its ends by ties.

13. A-four-bolt rail oint bar for use in railroads and with T-rails weighing-110 pounds y and over per" yard, said bar having bearing surfaces adapted for bearing Contact with the bearing surfaces of the rails at both the center and the ends of the bar, the length of the barexpressed in inches being not greater than four and one-quarter times the l mean fishing height of the bar minus four times the rail fishing height plus twice the' total rail height plus six.

14:'. A rail joint bar for use in railroads and adapted for bolting to the ends of T-rails weighing over 120 pounds per yard, said bars having bearing surfaces adapted for bearing contact with the bearing surfaces of the rail ends at4 both the center and ends of the bar, the length of the'bar expressed in inches being not greater than four and one-quartertimes the means fishing height of 'the bar minus four times the` rail fishing height plus twice the total rail height A-plus six, and the end portions of one of the bearing surfaces of the bar being reduced in area per unit of -length relativeto the central portion of such surface. p l5. A rail joint vbar for use in railroads and on T-rails weighing over 120 pounds per yard, said bar being adapted for bolting to f rail endsrand having surfaces -adapted for tact therewith,the length of each of the re- 'bearing contact with the bearing surfaces -of the rail ends at/ both the center and t-he ends of thebar, the length of said bar eX- pressed in inches being not greater than four and one-quarter times the mean fishing height of the bar minus four times the rail fishing height plus twice the total rail height .plus six, vthe-transversel strength of the'bar being-.sucientto resist inward bending by bolt tension;

16. A rail joint barl for use in railroads and onA T-rails weighing over' 120 lrail ends and having bearing surfaces adapted for bearing contact with the bearing surfaces of the rail ends at both the center and theends of the bar, the length of said bar expressed in inches being not ,greater than four and one-quarter times the mean fishing h ei ht of the bar minus four times the rail fishing-height plus twicethe total rail 'height plus `six, said bary being substantially balanced on its vertical neutra-1 axis for` lateral strength.

17. In a rail joint in combination with T- rail ends, weighing 110 pounds` and over per yard, fourbolt bars bolted to the rail ends and having both center and end'bearing contact with the rail ends, the length of each of the respective bars expressed in inches being" notgreater than four-and one-quarter times the mean fishing height of the bar minus four f times the rail fishing height plus twice the total rail height plus six.

18.l In a rail joint in combination with T- 4rail ends Weighing 110 pounds and over per l yard, four-bolt bars-bolted to the rail ends, and having both centerl and end bearing con-l tact'wth the rail ends, the'length of each of the 'respective bars expressed in inches being not greater than four and one-quarter times the 'mean fishin height ofthe bar minus four times the rail shing height plus twice the total rail height lus six, and a tie beneath and supporting t e centenof the joint, the joint being unsupported at its ends by ties. 5

In witness whereof, I have hereunto subscribed'my name this 7th day of November,

I GEORGE LANGFORD. 

